"Guidelines on Public Participation in EIA in the Mekong Region are now available", 28 March 2017

Following a period of development over the last 18 months by the Regional Technical Working Group on Environmental Impact Assessment, the first edition of the Guidelines on Public Participation in EIA in the Mekong Region have now been completed.

...The Guidelines were created to help address the shared concern for increasing meaningful public participation in development planning, in the context of increasing investment projects across the Mekong region.  The Guidelines are intended to help stimulate more effective practices in public participation in EIA and are also playing an important role in informing the development of related national level guidelines...

With increasing investments in large-scale infrastructure projects across the Mekong region, concerns are growing around the significant impacts on local livelihoods and the environment, including increasing awareness of potential transboundary impacts.  Without adequate social and environment safeguards in place, such projects may undermine long-term development outcomes and regional stability.  Enhancing meaningful public participation from all stakeholders is an important mechanism to help address these concerns and ensure equitable development outcomes, especially for vulnerable groups and communities.  These Guidelines...aim to provide practical advice for implementing meaningful public participation in the EIA process, in order to enhance its efficiency and effectiveness, while reducing potential social and environmental impacts of development projects such as dams, mines, power plants and economic zones.

The Guidelines on Public Participation in EIA in the Mekong Region are available for download in PDF format at:

http://www.pactworld.org/library/guidelines-public-participation-eia-mekong-region